An internal combustion engine includes a piston adapted to reciprocate in a cylinder. The piston includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion. The first portion of the piston forms a crown surface of the piston, the second portion of the piston forms a piston ring groove of the piston with the piston ring groove arranged and configured to receive a piston ring, and the third portion of the piston forms a crankcase side surface of the piston with the crankcase side surface facing a crankcase of the engine. The second portion of the piston is formed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than a material forming the first portion of the piston and a material forming a third portion of the piston.